Avoiding the Zoo: How to Partner with Missionaries

The "Traumas" of Being a Missionary Kid

Growing up as the child of missionaries comes with certain residual "trauma." During the summers, we would leave Scotland, the country where my parents served, to go back to America to visit grandparents, and my parents would tour the east coast sharing updates about their ministry with partnering churches. During these visits, there were plenty of times that I felt like a one-trick pony, asked the same few questions by each of the 100+ people in attendance.

• "Is it good to be back home?" (Internally: What do you mean back? Scotland is my home. Externally: It's been good to see grandparents again. It's also really hot here!)

• "What's it like in Scotland?!" (Internally:
  

• Ummm... normal? I don't know. Externally: It's much cooler there than it is here.)

The conversations were often the same, and many times people didn't even bother to tell me their name. I felt like a zoo animal being stared at as this foreign entity as though I somehow had a third arm instead of a Scottish accent.

However, in between the experiences feeling like a three-armed-alien, there were real conversations. There were certain families at each church who had invested in our family more than others. Some had supported us financially, but all of them kept up with what was going on in our lives and maintained a relationship with my parents. Since they read our newsletter updates, they asked real questions about how life was going instead of what life was like. We were people they knew instead of creatures they observed. Visiting these families and individuals was like a breath of fresh air in the midst of a long summer of being "on your best behavior" as my mother so aptly put it.

The difference between these experiences was the difference between partners and participants. Many participated in missions conferences and missions Sundays, they may have given to the missions offering at church, but they hadn't partnered with my family. They didn't know us as individual people with joys and struggles. However, those who partnered with my parents, and thus my family, did. They journeyed through life with us, praying for us faithfully, and helping however they could along the way. Any adult missionary kid (MK) can tell you the names of people who partnered with their family that they remember as a blessing, and they will cringe at the memories of the being the one-trick-pony. Don't believe me? Ask one.

A Call to Partnership

God has not called all individuals to serve Him in international missions, but He has called the Church to get involved in it. Most of the New Testament was written by Paul, a missionary who brought the gospel to some of the ends of the Roman world. As you read through Paul's letters, you'll often read lists of names written in greetings (Rom. 16, 2 Tim. 4, Titus 3, etc.). These were people that Paul knew personally who had partnered with him in his suffering and his celebrations. The very fact that Paul wrote letters to the churches shows the partnership he shared with them. His relationship with the churches was more than just a partnership, but a missions partnership was certainly one of these dynamics.

There are two key ways that the church partnered with Paul as he journeyed, sharing the gospel: provision and prayer.

Prayer Partnership

Throughout the epistles, Paul consistently asks for prayer in the midst of his instruction. He prays "that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored" (2 Thess. 3:1), that they "may be delivered from wicked and evil men" (2 Thess. 3:2), that he might "make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel" (Eph. 6:19), "that God will open up for us a door to the word" (Col. 4:3), just to name a few. Paul heard the audible voice of the Lord, wrote large portions of the scriptures, and expanded the church through much of the known world through the Holy Spirit, yet he still needed Christians to pray for him. If the apostle Paul needed prayer, how much more so do missionaries today?

Missionaries often send updates with specific prayer requests to their partners. A good partner keeps informed of the highs and lows in the missionary's life, and uses that information to pray faithfully. Prayer is powerful. It can make or break a ministry.

Provision Partnership

In Paul's journeys, there were also those in the church who met his practical needs. He thanked the Philippian church saying "when I left Macedonia, no church entered into a partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again." (Phil. 4:15-16). He shared with the Corinthian church how he "accept[ed] support from them in order to serve you" (2 Cor. 11:8). In some cases, partners provided through meeting specific needs like providing a place for Paul to stay (Philemon 22, Acts 18:2-3), or bringing him supplies when he in prison (Phil. 2:25).

Missionaries are freed up to serve the church through the provision of their partners. Yes, there were times in even Paul's journeys that he worked a traditional job while also trying to spread the gospel, but his seasons of intense ministry were provided for by those partnering with him. Some missionaries choose to serve overseas bi-vocationally, but those wishing to serve full-time are able to do so because of the provision of their partners.

Encouragement Partnership

During Paul's journeys, there were many who either joined him in the ministry or encouraged him during his ministry. Epaphroditus was one who came to care for Paul when he was imprisoned, even at the expense of his own health. Another was Barnabas (whose name literally means "son of encouragement") who ministered alongside of Paul during the early years of his (Acts 11:24). The encouragement of these men enabled Paul to keep pressing on and keep fighting the good fight during his ministry. These were only two out of many who aided Paul by walking alongside of him and by seeking out ways to care for him as a whole person.

Missions is difficult. Full-time ministry is difficult. There is a trend of missionaries spending less and less time on the field due to burn-out. Missionaries desperately need the encouragement of their ministry partners to "press on, fight the good fight, and finish the race" that God has laid out before them.

What does this look like in practice?

Faith-Based Mission

Many missions organizations are considered faith-based missions. These are organizations in which missionary salaries come directly from the provision from their partners. Missionaries receive no money from the organizations themselves, but instead individuals and churches opt to partner with a missionary as a spiritual investment, and in-turn the missionary is able to serve the God's kingdom full-time. Missionaries in faith-based missions rely on regular giving in the form of a sponsorship rather than one-time gifts. In this way, faith-based missions follow Paul's call to "get their living by the gospel" (1 Cor. 9:14).

While the missionaries are provided for by their partners, they are held accountable by their organizations. The organizations make sure that missionaries are doing what they say they are doing, they provide structures of accountability and resources to help the missionaries pursue the mission God has called them to. This three-directional partnership between a missionary, their organization, and their partners defines the nature of Faith-Based Missions.

The "Contract"

If you have been paying attention thus far, you'll have noticed that I've only really mentioned what the missionary needs from partners. However, partnerships are meant to be mutually beneficial. It is not all about what the missionary gets out of the deal, but what both parties have to gain. In some ways, there are similarities to a business investment contract.

If you have ever seen the show "Shark Tank," you know the basics of how business ventures work. A young entrepreneur proposes their business plan to investors. The investors will then provide the capital needed to start the venture, and in turn, the investors receive a portion of the profits made from the business. They receive a return on their spiritual investment as the entrepreneur uses the capital to pursue their goal. The better than the entrepreneur does, the better of a return for the investor. The investor then has a motive for supporting the entrepreneur and ensuring his success rather than just being the initial financier of the venture.

In Philippians 4:17-18, Paul writes:

Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

When individuals partner with missionaries, Paul says that it is "credited to [their] account." The picture here is the return on investment. By investing in a missionary, the Lord credits the giving to our heavenly "bank account." Giving becomes a form of spiritual investment with certain returns and low risk (Matthew 6:19-20).

In addition to the heavenly rewards, partners who follow along with an individual missionary instead of a broader organization, also get a glimpse into the kingdom of God at work. America has a history of isolationism, which means that there is a tendency for the culture to focus predominantly on just the USA. However, God's kingdom is so much bigger than just one country and culture. God is working and growing his church globally in so many different ways. Partnering with a missionary provides a peep-hole into what God is doing. Missionaries send monthly or quarterly updates to partners outlining what is happening in their families and their ministries. As partners give, pray, and encourage regularly to partner with a missionary, they become more attentive to their investment, just like business investors. This attentiveness, combined with the window into God's kingdom from the missionary, can grow a heart for the world in the supporter.

Questions to Ponder:

For some, supporting missions looks more like writing a check, deleting email updates in the inbox, and/or visiting the exotic missionary on display during missions week. Yet, God has set up a model of partnership that grows both parties for the sake of His kingdom. As you consider your own view of and involvement in missions, here are some questions to ponder:

1. What am I currently doing to take part in God's global, kingdom mission? How much am I currently able to do?

2. If you are supporting a missionary currently, does your involvement look more like participation or partnership? How can you strengthen your role as a partner?

3. If you are no t supporting a missionary currently, who in your circles is looking for ministry partners?

4. What type of partner are you able to be in this season? Prayer? Provision? Encouragement?

5. Do you know any of the missionaries whom your church supports? Can you name at least one family and where they serve? What needs do they have in this season?

God has invited all of His children to join Him on His kingdom mission, whether that be by going ourselves, or by partnering with someone who in some way, shape, or form. In doing so, the kingdom is expanded, both parties are blessed, and God is glorified through it.